Meg marries Carrie’s “‘Best Awful’
If Carrie Fisher’s life were dull, what would she write about?
Alas, adventures like surviving her crazy Hollywood upbringing and having her husband leave her for another man mean she’ll never want for material. And now HBO has announced plans to turn Fisher’s latest autobiographical novel, “The Best Awful,” into a miniseries starring Meg Ryan.
Continuing the story of Suzanne Vale Fisher’s alter ego, who first appeared in “Postcards from the Edge” “Best Awful” sees our heroine rebounding from divorce with the help of prescription drugs, a crazy road trip to Mexico with her tattoo artist and yet another stint in rehab.
Fisher will adapt the script herself, but no word yet as to when we’ll see Ryan fall apart and put herself back together.
“‘Sex and the City’ stud visits “‘Brothers & Sisters’
Even if the name doesn’t ring a bell, you know who Jason Lewis is.
Samantha’s hunky boyfriend on the last season of “Sex and the City?” The breathtaking naked guy in the “Absolut Hunk” magazine ads? That’s Lewis.
And his astonishing good looks make him the perfect guy to play Chad, a closeted soap star, on ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters.”
For a four-episode arc starting in February, Lewis’ character will meet and fall for Kevin (Matthew Rhys) at an exercise boot camp. Presumably, Chad’s sexual secrecy will put a crimp in the relationship, since the show apparently has a more serious boyfriend lined up for Kevin later in the season strangely enough, it will be a guy Kevin meets through his arch-conservative sister, played by Calista Flockhart.
“‘Str8-Acting’ on reality TV
When some gay guy calls himself “straight-acting,” do you have the slightest idea what he means? Neither do we.
But it’s an act that has some value, apparently, since two new reality shows will offer prizes to queer boys who can effectively pass for hetero.
Lifetime’s “Gay, Straight or Taken?” premiering Jan. 8 introduces a female contestant to three men, and it’s her job to figure out who’s single, who’s taken, and who plays for the other team. If she guesses correctly, she and her guy win an exotic trip; if she doesn’t, the guy and his significant other will travel instead.
Then there’s “GayDAR,” still in the casting stage for an as-yet-unnamed network, which is looking for gay guys whose straight-boy camouflage can fool “a panel of experts.”
Maybe they can get Abercrombie & Fitch to be sponsors.
Fox creating right-wing “‘Daily Show’
Fox News’ unapologetically right-wing-biased aka “fair and balanced” approach to the news has made the network popular among the conservative-talk-listening set. But despite their top-dog status, Fox News still wants to play the underdog card by creating a Saturday-night satirical news program that’s a sort of right-leaning “Daily Show.”
Joel Surnow, producer of “24,” is creating a pilot, which will be “anchored” by comedians Kurt Long and Susan Yeagley. And while “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” spoof homophobia (among other issues) in the government and the mass media, we expect that this Bizarro-world version, set to premiere in January, will indulge in some of the anti-gay sentiment mocked by its progressive counterpart.
Can conservatives who aren’t P.J. O’Rourke be funny? Find out next month.
Lance and Reichen call it quits
Singer Lance Bass and his boyfriend, Reichen Lehmkuhl, have called it quits, People magazine reported on its Web site Monday.
Bass, who was part of the boy band ‘N Sync, revealed earlier this year that he is gay and was in a relationship with Lehmkuhl, a former Air Force captain and winner of season four of CBS’ globe-trotting reality show competition “Amazing Race.”
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition, December 8, 2006.